Air conditioning apparatus



March 28, 1939. `N. H. GAY 2,152,251

CONDITIONING APPARATUS F11-ed Dec. 2, 1955 5 shee'ps-sheet 1 WW F2252, J. Y a Z I I j f y l?" l 9 ma 1: .QQ /A I I. I I: x? N #-25 y g j] 1 0 2 0 \Y a E? L 'O- l N. H. GAY

March 28, 1939.

AIR CONDITIONING APPARATUS s sheets-sheet 2 v Filed Dec. 2, 1955 www WW NNW mw March' 2s, 1939.

AIR CONDITIONING APPARATUS N. H. ,GAY 2,152,251

Filed Dec. 2, 1935 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 Patented Mar. 28, 1939 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE 9 Claims.

This invention relates to improvements in cooling and air conditioning systems, and is more particularly related to such a system wherein water and the evaporation of water are used as the principal or solitary agents for producing the cooling and conditioning desired.

A feature of the present invention is the cooling of the air below the initial wet bulb temperature of the air, with water used as the principal refrigerating agent.

Another feature is the provision of a simple arrangement for cooling and conditioning the Ventilating air supply to a residence, store, building or other structure, with the employment of water as an agent for lowering the temperature thereof.

A further feature is the provision of means for utilizing water in producing a cooling and conditioning of Ventilating air along with devices forautomatically maintaining conditions of comfort in the space which it is desired to condition or ventilate.

With these and other features as objects in View, illustrative forms of practicing the present invention are shown diagrammatically in the accompanying drawings in which:

Fig. 1 is a view taken in vertical section showing an embodiment of the invention wherein the water velocity of the spray'is used to introduce the movement of the conditioned air from the outside to the inside of the space to be conditioned. v

Fig. 2 shows a similar view of an embodiment wherein a power driven fan is used to provide the necessary movement of air to be conditioned from the outside to the inside of the space to be conditioned. 4

Fig. 3 shows a similar view of a modified form in which water from an external source is used to effect the initial cooling of the air, and recirculated water is used for the final cooling of the air.

Fig. 4 shows a further modification, in which a mechanical refrigerating system is utilized to cool the air to a point below that at which it is possible to cool and condition the air with water alone.

Fig. 5 shows a further modification, in which evaporation cooling is employed directly at the radiator.

In each of these forms, a radiator (i. e., a device for exchange of heat between the air and the circulating liquid without direct contact therebetween) is utilized for the pre-cooling in order to avoid increasing the water content or relative humidity of the air being conditioned; and the final cooling is eected by spraying an excess of water into the pre-cooled air, so that evaporation will cause a lowering of temperature of such excess and permitting its employment at such lower temperature during the course of its cycle.

In Fig. 1 is illustrated an apartment I0 whose atmosphere is to be conditioned according to the requirements thereof. Air is introduced to this apartment through duct I I, its motion being provided by the implnging effect of the particles of 10 water from spray nozzle I2, which nozzle is working under pressure and throwing the Water at relatively high velocity through the Venturi throat I3 inthe diaphragm or partition I4 of the conditioning apparatus. 15

The air escapes from the apartment through the vent I5 which permits the air to pass to the outside and is preferably located at a point remote from the intake I'I so that the outgoing air will not mix with the fresh incoming air which 20 is taken from the outside at I6 through an intake opening I'I at the entrance to the air conditioning apparatus.

' The air passes through the filter I1b and through the radiator I8, which is kept at a tem- 25 yperature below that of the incoming air by means described. In passing through the radiator I8 the airis pre-cooled to a lower dry bulb temperature and, since the dew point remains constant, 30 to a new and lower wet bulb temperature. VThe air having been rst cooled to this lower wet bulb, the water issuing from spray nozzle I2 further cools the pre-cooledair to a point near and above this new lower wet bulb and to a point below 35 that at which it would have been possible to cool the air by spraying without pre-cooling with the radiator.` i

Water is taken from tank I9 in the bottom of the air conditioning apparatus through a con- 40 duit 2U and circulated by means of a pump 2l and a conduit 22 through the radiator I8 to give the radiator its cooling eect. 'Ihe water then passes at higher temperature through a conduit 23 to a spray nozzle I2 for moving the air and 45 at the same time cooling itself and the air circulated to a point near and above the wet bulb temperature of the pre-cooled air leaving the' radiator. The air then passes on through a chamber 24 at -a new and higher dew point and 50 in a practically saturated condition. It passes through the eliminator 25, where any particles of unevaporated moisture `are separated from it and returned to the tank I9, while the air itself passes on through the duct II to the apartment I0.

The air in apartment III is carried into the room downward in a practically vertical direction which throws it toward the floor, from which pointit spreads out and rises at the Walls to` pick up the heat entering from the outside through the walls, then passes across the ceiling to pick up the heat passing downward through the ceiling, and iinally leaves at vent I5, carrying with it the heat which it has picked up in the room fromathe Walls, ceiling, floor and other sources or containers of heat therein.

'The water supply pipe 21 for the apparatus is connected with the city mains, a well, or any other available source of water supply. The supply to the apparatus is controlled by a float valve 28 operated by a float 29 in a manner to keep the water level in the tank I3 of the apparatus at the desired level.

It is obvious that the` cooling of air is done by means f the evaporation of water and that spraying the air also washes dust and other floating particles therefrom. Under normal conditions of water supply, the dissolved salts contained in such water supply and washings from the air would be concentrated in the apparatus to a point where it would be no longer t for use. To obviate and overcome this condition, overiiow 30 is installed at a height which will permit a small portion of the water recirculated to be constantly wasted from the supply contained in the tank I3 of the conditioning apparatus. In order to maintain temperatures which are not below those desired for apartment I0, when the capacity of the apparatus is greater than the cooling effect desired. a thermostat 3| controls the supply of energy from a source 32, and operates to stop the pump 2| when the temperature in the apartment I0 reaches the desired low point, and to start the pump'2l when the temperature in the apartment I0 reaches the desired high point.

Fig 2 is a. modication of Fig. 1, in which the apartment I0 to be conditioned is supplied with air through the duct II. This air is here moved by a fan 26. Air passes to the fan 26 through a duct 24a from the air conditioning apparatus.

Air from the outside passes through the entrance. opening I1, the dust lter |1b, and thel radiator I8, where it is cooled in the same manner as described at Fig. 1.

The air leaving the radiator I8 at its new and lower wet bulb temperature passes through the sprays from spray nozzles' |2a and I 2b. Here the airis cooled to a temperature above and near the new wet bulb temperature, and leaves lthe sprays in a practically saturated condition, passing onward through eliminator 25 and duct 24a to the fan 28.

Water from the tank I9 is circulated by the pump 2| through the conduit 22 and radiator I8 to cool the air as above described, passing on at a vhigher temperature through conduits 23, 23a and 23b to spray nozzles |2a and |217, where contact with the air cools it to a temperature near and above the new wet bulb temperature of the air leaving radiator I8.

'Ihe air circulating in apartment I0 picks up the heat from the apartment and carries it out through the duct I5, as before described. 'Ihe temperature conditions in apartment I0 are maintained by the thermostat 3| as above described.

In Fig. 3, separate paths of circulation are employed for the water passing to the pre-cooling radiator and to the spray. Illustratively,

the spray is here employed as in Fig. 1, althougl: obviously the fan of Fig. 2 may be incorporated The air motion is caused by the impinging eiec` of the water particles passing through the Venturi throat, and the air path is the same as ir Fig. 1. Ihe water circulation is in two separat: systems, one of which gives the air its initia cooling, and the other gives it its final cooling Water for the initial cooling of the air is taker from cooling tower pan 45 through a conduii 46 to pump 2| a which forces the water througl. conduit 22 and radiator I8, returning it through a conduit 41 to a cooling tower 48 where the heal acquired by the water at the radiator I8 is removed. Water for the iinal cooling is taker from the tank I3 through the conduit 20 by the pump 2| which forces it under pressure through the conduit 23 to the spray. nozzle I2 Where i1 gives the air its motion and nal cooling and the excess falls back into tank I3.

In this form, a thermostat 3| controls the supply of power from the source 32 to the motorpump assembly 2|, an'd a separate thermostai 3|a similarly controls the motor-pump assembly 2|a; plural conductors being employed to indicate thel possibility of employing a plurality o1 speeds at the-pumps at differing positions of the thermostats. It is preferred, in this form, to control the two pumps separately, and according tc the desired conditions of temperature and humidity. The thermostats may be set differentially with respect to one another, so that the pumps are selectively actuated according to the humidity and temperature conditions to be maintained Obviously the radiator water pre-cooling and nal spray water cooling may be employed in conjunction with a further cooling by a refrigerating plant. Such an embodiment is shown in Fig. 4, indicating an illustrative development oi Fig. 3, with mechanical refrigeration apparatus and controls therefor added. Water from the pump 2| passes through the conduit ,23 to the evaporator 34, where it is cooled to a lower temperature and may be cooled to a temperature below the dew point of the outside air. It then passes onward through a conduit 33 to spray nozzle I2, where the impinging of the water creates the necessary air movement and at the same time chills the air and reduces it to the new desired temperature.

Air movement in the conditioning apparatus is the same as that described for Fig. 1. Water movement is the same as described for Fig. 3, except that the water used for the nal cooling is diverted and its path carried through evaporator 34 to give it additional cooling.

'I'he mechanical refrigerating equipment consists of a compressor 35, the evaporator 34 and the condenser 36. Gaseous refrigerant from the evaporator 34 is withdrawn through a conduit 31, compressed by the compressor 35, and introduced to the condenser 38 through a. conduit 38. The refrigerant is condensed in the condenser 36 by means of any external source oi water supply such as well, city mains, or cooling tower connected to the condenser water inlet 33; such water being circulated through the condenser and leaving at the water outlet 4|| to pass to sewer drain or to return to cooling tower. 'I'he liqueiied refrigerant from the condenser 36 passes to the receiver 4| and thence through a conduit 4i and an expansion valve 43, and into the evaporator 34.

A control of the temperature in the apartment I0 is accomplished by means of a thermostat 3Ib Acontrolling energy from a source 32 and serving to stop the compressor 95 when the temperature of the apartment I reaches the desired low point and to start and control the compressor 35 when the temperature of the apartment I0 reaches the desired high points. Thermostats 3l and 3Ia similarly operate to start and stop pumps 2| and 2Ia when additional temperature regulation is required.

In Fig. 5 is shown a further modication of the arrangement. The air for the apartment is introduced from the exterior at I6 through the opening I1, past the lter IIb.and between the fn surfaces of a tube-and-fln radiator l8r, and

then is contacted with water from the spraynozzle I2 and thus moved through the venturi I3 into the chamber 24, passing through the eliminator 25 and the duct II into the apartment I0, from which it escapes through the vent I5 as before. Water is moved to the nozzle I2 by the pump 2 I, through conduit 29. Excess o! water is then collected in the sump I9 as before,and passes back to the pump 2l by conduit 20. The water level in sump I9 is maintained i'rom the supply pipe 21 by the valve 28 under control of the float 29. An overflow 30 is provided for continuously discharging water from the sump I9 as stated above.

In this form of the structure, an auxiliary air inlet I1 is provided, through which air is moved by water projected from the nozzle |21: into ven-' turi I3:c, from which it moves through the tubes of the radiator |83: in a downward direction. An excess of water is always preferred, so that the inner walls of these tubes are traversed by a lm of water cooled by the air, and by the evaporation from the surfaces thereof, so that a rapid heat transfer occurs in the radiator, without contact of the water with the air. The saturated .air from the tubes then passes through an eliminator 25a: and is exhausted by duct Ilm. The excess water drips from the lower ends of the radiator tubes into a sump |912, and is withdrawn therefrom by a conduit a: to the pump 2la, and thus forced through conduit 23m to the nozzle I 2z. 'I'he water level of sump |93: is maintained by'a branch supply pipe 21a: under control ofthe valve 28a: as actuated by float 29x. An overiiow 30a: is provided toavoid accumulation of dirt and soluble salts in the sump and water circulation of this portion of the system.

In thisform, the two pumps 2| and 2Ia are illustrated as operated by a common motor 2| m which further is illustrated as controlled `by a thermostat 3| and energized from a source 32.

It will be noted that, in each of the embodiments of the invention above described, 4the air to be conditioned passes rst through a surface type of radiator, wherein the air is cooled without coming in direct contact with the water, and then passes to` and through a spray or system of sprays wherein it is further cooled and humidied. The advantage of this type of apparatus is that, by first cooling the air without bringing it in contact with the water, the dew point of the air remains constant and the dry bulb temperature is brought to a considerably lower point with a consequent reduction of the wet bulb temperature of the air. It is well known that the wet bulb temperature of the air is the indicator of the point to which air can be cooled by spraying it with water, and hence by creating a new Wet bulb for the air to be conditioned, the. air is placed in condition for cooling to a lower nal temperature. Greater advantage is thus taken of the ability of the air to replace the sensible heat of the air.with the latent heat of the water, for example, with air at 105 F. dry bulb temperature and a d ew point of 50 F., the wet bulb temperature existing is approximately '70 F., with a relative humidity of 16%. A single spraying of the air with water cannot reduce the temperature of the air below this established wet bulb of '70 F. On the other hand, it is possible to cool the air to nearly 70 F. if the proper volume of water at, say, 80 F. is used for spraying, since both the air and the Water are cooled to a temperature near and just above the initial wet bulb temperature of the air (70 F.). If the air be cooled, however, with a radiator instead of a spray, to a new dry bulb temperature of '75 F., with the dew point remaining constant. the new wet bulb temperature existing when the air leaves the radiator will be 60 F. The rise in temperature of the Water in the radiator can be pre-determined if the volume of the air circulated is known andv suiilcient volume circulated to give a rise of say 5. In the embodiment shown in Fig. 1, a spraying of air (at 60 F. wet bulb temperature) with this water, which will have a temperature of approximately 69 will permit reducing the air temperature, so that the air leaves the sprays at a temperature of approximately 64, while the vwater also will be reduced to a temperature of approximately 64 F. In the embodiment shown in Fig. 3, the heat acquired by the water at radiator I8 is entirely removed and disposed of at the cooling tower 48. The water delivered to spray nozzles I2, I2a, I2b is at the same temperature as the water leaving the air and falling into the tank I9. This tem-perature is very close to the wet bulb temperature of the air (say 61). Air leaving the spray is practically saturated with moisture and is at the same temperature as the water (or 61 also), so that in ,the example given, the dual water circulation shown in Fig. 3 cools the air to a 3 lower wet bulb temperature.

' In the above examples it is assumed that volumes of air, volumes of. water, area of surface, and amountof spray, are properly proportioned to give the temperatures illustrated in the example. l

This system of air conditioning makes it possible, by using water alone as a refrigerant, to bring theair to a lower temperature before it is necessary to utilize mechanical refrigeration, than is aiorded with ordinary systems which employ sprays for air conditioning. It is apparent that the volume of water evaporated will be relatively small, and the water economy is limited only by the necessity for freshening the water due to concentration of soluble salts originally contained in the water supply. It is obvious that changes might be made to accord with the necessities of conditions andstructures, without departing from the scope of the appended claims, and that the illustrative forms are not restrictive in the practice of the invention. I claim:

'1. In an air conditioning system, means pro-` viding a path forl the movement of air, a radiator positioned in said path, Venturi throat equipment in said path downstream of said radiator and through which all air must pass, means supply-- ing a cooling medium to the radiator and directing cooling liquid spray into said throat equipment to provide successive treatments for the air, said spray and throat equipment constituting the sole means for conveying ainthrough said path and means for individually controlling the supplying of cooling medium to the radiator and to the spray whereby the` cooperative effect of said radiator and spray can be varied.

2. In an air conditioning system, means pro-- viding a path for the movement of air, a radiator positioned in said path, Venturi throat equipment in said path downstream of said radiator and through which all air must pass, means supplying a cooling medium to the radiator and directing cooling liquid spray into said throat equipment to provide successive treatments for the air, said spray and throat equipment constituting the sole means for conveying air through said path,

and means for automatically exercising individual controls over the operation of said radiator and spray in response to conditions in the area being air conditioned for varying the cooperative effect of said radiator and spray to the extent of at times causing one thereof to function to the exclusion of the other.

3. In an air conditioning system, means providing a path for the movement of air, a radiator positioned in said path, a Venturi throat equipment in said path downstream of said radiator and through which all air must pass, separate means for supplying a cooling medium to the radiator and for directing cooling liquid spray into said throat equipment to provide successive treatments for the air, said spray and throat equipment constituting the sole means for conveying air through said path, said separate means each including a circulating pump, and means responsive to conditions in the area to be air conditioned for automatically controlling the operation of said pumps.

4. In an air conditioning system, means providing a path for the movement of air, a radiator positioned in said path, a Venturi throat equipment in'said path downstream of said radiator and through which all air must pass, separate means for supplying a cooling medium to the radiator and for directing cooling liquid spray into said throat equipment to provide successive treatments for the air, said spray and throat equipment constituting the sole meansfor conveying air through said path, said separate means each including a circulating pump, and means responsive to conditions in the area to be air conditioned for individually controlling the operation of the pumps whereby the cooperative effect of the radiator and spray can be varied.

5. In an air conditioning system, means providing a path for the movement of air to be conditioned, a radiator positioned in said path, Venturi throat equipment in said path downstream of said radiator and through which all air to be conditioned must pass, said radiator including tubes traversing the air path, and means for projecting cooling liquid spray into the tubes to bathe the interior walls thereof witha lm of cooling liquid and for directing cooling liquid spray into said throat equipment to provide for two step cooling ofthe air, said spray and throat equipment constituting the sole means for moving the air through said path.

6. In an air conditioning system, means providing a path for the movement of air to be conditioned, a radiator positioned in said path, Venturi throat equipment in said path downstream of said radiator and through which all air to be conditioned must pass, said radiator including tubes traversing the air path, means including a Venturi throat and a cooling liquid spray directed through said throat into the tubes to bathe the interior walls thereof with a film of cooling liquid and induce a current of air through said tubes, and means for directing cooling liquid spray into said throat equipment to cause movement of air to be conditioned through said path and provide for a second step cooling of the air succeeding the cooling thereof by the radiator.

7. In an air conditioning system, means providing a path for the movement of air to be conditioned, a radiator positioned in said path, Venturi throat equipment in said path downstream of said radiator and through which all air to be conditioned must pass, said radiator including tubes traversing the air path, means including a Venturi throat and a cooling liquid spray directed through said throat into the tubes to bathe the interior walls thereof with a -lm of cooling liquid and induce a current of air through said tubes, and means for directing cooling liquid spray into said throat equipment to cause movement of air to be conditioned through saidv path and provide for a second step cooling of the air succeeding the cooling thereof by the radiator each said means including an individual cooling liquid supply anda circulating pump.

8. In an air conditioning system, means providing a path for the movement of air to be conditioned, a radiator including tubes traversing the air path, and a Venturi throat and cooling liquid spray unit disposed adjacent the radiator and serving to project a spray through the throat into the tubes to bathe the interior walls of the tubes with the cooling liquid and constituting the sole means for inducing acurrent of air through said tubes.

9. An air conditioning system comprising means providing a path for the movement of the air to be conditioned, a radiator exposed to the air moving along said path, means providing a Venturi throat in the path downstream of the radiator, a spray device located at said throat for delivering water into the air to effect movement thereof, a water eliminator located downstreamward of the spray device, means for moving cooling liquid to the radiator for effecting an initial precooling of air thereat without direct contact with the liquid, a reservoir for water, means for supplying to and constantly overflowing from said reservoir aregulated amount of water whereby to remove with the overflowing water impurities separated from the air by the water spray, and means for delivering water from the reservoir to the spray device at a rate in excess of the capacity of the air to evaporate and receive the same and effecting a secondary cooling by direct contact of the airand the water of the spray, said eliminator operating to remove the excess of water before the conditioned air leaves said provided path.

NORMAN H.y GAY. 

